


Shout Out to My Ex

by Just_amberr



Series: Tom learns How to Relationship [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Angry Harry Potter, Confrontations, Crack and Angst, Fluff and Crack, Jealous Tom Riddle, M/M, Narcissism, Self Confidence Issues, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29854380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_amberr/pseuds/Just_amberr
Summary: In which Cedric attempts to come back into Harry's life and Harry is not amused.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle
Series: Tom learns How to Relationship [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2185662
Comments: 9
Kudos: 166





	Shout Out to My Ex

“Tom…” Harry whispered, very close to his face in bed. “Tom, it’s morning.”

“No it’s not.” Tom muttered sleepily. “You are mistaken, Harry.”

“Nope, not mistaken.” Harry booped Tom on the nose. “And I want pancakes.”

Tom cracked one eye open to glare at Harry. 

“Are you only dating me because I feed you?”

“Not at all!” Harry smirked, flopping over onto his back. “Your bed is much more comfortable than mine, too.”

Tom huffed, rolling over and squishing Harry.

“Oi!” Harry laughed. “I asked for pancakes to eat, Tom, not to be squashed into a pancake!”

Tom looked up at Harry, propping his chin on Harry’s chest. 

“Oh,” He said conversationally. “I guess I got them confused due to my sleep deprivation.”

“If you can use words like ‘deprivation’, I’m not too worried.” Harry chuckled.

“You know,” Tom murmured, playing with Harry’s shirt shyly. “You pretty much live over here, Harry.”

Harry turned his head slightly. “Oh?”

“Yeah, and...well,” Tom blushed, refusing to look at him. “I know you don’t like it when I ask Lucius things, but I asked and hesaidweshouldmoveintogether.”

Tom buried his face in Harry’s shirt, blushing. He could feel Harry’s chest vibrate with laughter, though he tried to hold it in. 

“Well, Tom,” Harry ruffled Tom’s hair playfully. “Do you want me to move in with you?”

Tom hesitated, heat creeping through his body. But then he nodded slowly. 

“Alright.” Harry smirked, kissing Tom on the head. “I’ll stay then.”

Tom perked up immediately, gazing at him with wide eyes. “Really?”

“Really, Tom.” Harry smiled, then nudged Tom off. “But first - pancakes!”

Tom groaned melodramatically, but conceded. If there was one thing Harry loved, it was breakfast. And Tom, who loved Harry very much, would make a thousand breakfasts if it made Harry happy. 

Harry had work the rest of the week, so he didn’t find time to go back to his flat until the weekend. 

“I’ll meet you there this afternoon.” Tom said, kissing Harry on the forehead before he got into the car with Benjamin. “I wish I could take the whole day, but Lucius insists I assist him with the morning meeting.”

“It’s okay, Tom.” Harry smiled with amusement. “Most of my things are already at yours anyway, and I’m going to leave most of the furniture.”

Tom wrinkled his nose. Calling the mismatched, rock-hard items in Harry’s flat ‘furniture’ felt like a bit of a stretch. Harry smirked, kissing Tom on the cheek.

“I’ll see you this afternoon, Tom!”

He watched Tom leave, then caught a cab over to his flat. He really hadn’t spent much time there, once they’d spent that first night together Tom had fallen in love with having Harry around after work. It began as a few weekends, then a few days during the week too, and now he’d spent months without going over to his own flat. 

Which is why he was unsurprised when he saw his mailbox overflowing with messages. Harry used his key, then fought to get the slot open enough to take out the mail. Most of it was junk mail - coupons and promotional mail - but there were a few messages from old school friends that he was looking at when he felt a tap on his shoulder. 

“Oh,” Harry said, startled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get in your way..”

He trailed off, as his eyes made contact with the person standing in front of him.

“...Cedric?” Harry asked, stunned. 

Harry hadn’t thought about Cedric in months, having let go off his insecurity and resentment in the wake of how happy he was with Tom. But, as Cedric stood before him handsome as always, Harry couldn’t help the self-consciousness he felt. He hadn’t even brushed his hair that morning, and he was wearing one of Tom’s jumpers and wrinkled jeans from the day before. 

“Harry,” Cedric smiled charismatically. “It’s good to see you.”

Harry’s brows furrowed. “I’m sorry, do you live here now?”

Cedric laughed. “No, I was hoping to run into you actually.”

Warning bells went off in Harry’s mind. He hadn’t told Cedric where his new flat was - he’d made certain of it actually. Clearly his feelings showed on his face, as Cedric added. 

“Your coworker told me your address the other day when I stopped by.”

Anna. 

Harry groaned internally. Cedric had shamelessly flirted with Anna, who still seemed to think she had a chance with Cedric even though he only ever dated men. 

“I was wondering…” Cedric smiled hopefully. “Would you maybe like to get a coffee?”

Harry shook his head. 

“Actually, Cedric,” he said, skirting around the man and towards the stairs. “I actually have a lot to do this morning.”

“No problem!” Cedric grinned. “I’ll just catch you at a better time then.”

Harry flushed. “I’m actually moving out of the building, with my boyfriend, so we’ll probably only ever see each other if you stop into my work when I’m on shift.”

Cedric’s eyes narrowed slightly at the word ‘boyfriend’, but then he smiled easily. 

“Alright,” Cedric smiled, a little too forced to be believable. “I’ll see you around, Harry.”

And he left, leaving a very frustrated Harry to pack his belongings. He shoved clothing mercilessly into boxes, only stopping his rage-packing when he got to the more breakable items. By the time Tom had arrived, Harry felt marginally more calm. Especially when he smelled the fish and chips in the bag Tom was carrying. 

“From your favorite place,” Tom said smugly. “Even if they put entirely too much frying oil in their food.”

“Oh hush,” Harry kissed him. “You love it too. Come on, let’s eat in the kitchen.”

“You did make quick work of it.” Tom said approvingly, looking impressed as he took in all of the neatly packed boxes in the front room. “Is Ron still coming by to help?”

“Yeah,” Harry smirked. “He said he’d do anything for more of that roast you made.”

Tom preened. “I do make excellent roast.”

Harry nodded, closing his eyes blissfully as he bit into the fried fish. 

“So,” Tom said pseudo-casually. “Anything happen this morning?”

Harry sighed. “How’d you know?”

“You carry stress right,” Tom poked Harry’s shoulder. “There. It tenses whenever you’re upset about something.”

“Right.” Harry looked at Tom. “Cedric was waiting outside my flat this morning.”

Tom’s face darkened, only getting worse as Harry explained the interaction he’d had.

“Harry,” Tom said in a low tone. “Are you sure you don’t want to come work in my office? We have an excellent security team…”

“No!” Harry flushed. “Absolutely not - I like my work, and you would kill me if we ever worked together.”

“I wouldn’t.” Tom pouted, though he definitely would. “Or you could just not work - I can take care of you, and you keep Nagini company!”

Harry gave him an unimpressed look. “I would go absolutely crazy if I didn’t have work, Tom.”

“It’ll be fine,” He added. “Cedric doesn’t know my schedule, and I’ll talk to Anna about keeping her mouth shut on Monday.”

Tom was hesitant, but decided to let it go as it was upsetting Harry. He also had absolutely no idea what to do with this situation. Honestly, he was silently cursing himself for not Googling or asking Lucius how to navigate this situation. It was good to know Harry seemed completely disinterested in his ex, but it still made him feel very uncomfortable and wrong-footed. 

“You will...tell you though, won’t you?” Tom asked in a stunted sort of way. “If he bothers you again?”

Harry reached out and held Tom’s hand, squeezing it comfortingly. “Of course I will, Tom.”

“Now,” Harry stretched. “Let’s finish this packing journey, shall we?”

“Alright,” Tom smiled. “I’m excited to see all your childhood pictures.” 

Harry laughed. “Come on, then!”

They played together, packing and reminiscing over Harry’s past. Some of it was sad, like when Harry showed him his family photo album. But even in those moments, Tom was really excellent at making Harry feel better because he understood what it was to lose a family. Granted he lost his family at birth rather than as a teenager, but that didn’t make his suffering any less. 

Ron and Hermione showed up later that evening, helping Harry and Tom load the boxes into a moving van Tom had called. And then they were treated to Tom’s roast, which he’d spent literally all week perfecting for Ron. He attempted to play it all down when Ron asked how much time he’d spent making the food, but Harry hyped him up until he looked roughly the same shade as a tomato. 

A few days later, Harry was off to work. Tom had already left for his job, though he’d sent someone to watch Harry’s work for the day. He knew Harry would probably think it was ridiculous and going overboard, but Tom had a bad feeling about this Cedric bloke. 

“I know you’re there, Benjamin.” Harry said, rolling his eyes as Benjamin sheepishly moved out of his hiding spot. “Tom put you up to this, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did.” Benjamin said. “Please don’t send me away? He’s paid me for the whole day and he’ll be very upset if I don’t report back that everything went alright.”

Harry smirked. “Fine, but you’ll be trying my new coffee mixture and telling Tom what an excellent worker I am!”

Benjamin smiled. He really quite liked Harry - he was nothing like the other people Tom surrounded himself with - and Tom was nicer for it. Honestly, Benjamin was willing to go to Harry’s work himself after Tom explained the situation. This Cedric character sounded like a real creep. 

They entered the cafe, where Benjamin got situated in the corner with his book. Harry went into the back of the shop to put on his apron and find Anna, who was supposed to be opening with him. 

“Oh,” Anna smiled when she saw Harry. “Hullo, Harry! Did anything interesting happen this weekend?”

“As a matter of fact, something did happen.” Harry glared at her. “Why did you tell Cedric where I lived, Anna?”

“You should have heard him the other day, Harry!” Anna gushed. “He broke up with that other bloke, was completely heartbroken, and he said he missed you so much, but had no idea how to contact you!”

“He couldn’t contact me for a reason, Anna.” Harry said exasperatedly. “That ‘bloke’ he told you about, was the same person he cheated on me with.”

“Oh no,” Anna paled. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Harry.”

“You didn’t.” Harry said, closing his eyes and praying for patience. “Please, Anna, tell me you didn’t give Cedric my work schedule.”

Anna looked positively mortified, but Harry had absolutely no sympathy for her as he heard the bell ring announcing the arrival of their first customer.

“You go see who it is!” Harry hissed. “I’m hiding in the back for the majority of this shift. And don’t mind that man in the corner, he’s my friend.”

Anna pouted, but made her way up to the front of the cafe. It turned out to not be Cedric, and he didn’t come in throughout the morning either. Harry had just begun to relax, feeding Benjamin all of the test treats he was playing around with before selling to the general public. 

And then he came in, the ponce, with his hair was coiffed perfectly and his clothes neatly pressed. 

“Hullo, Harry.” Cedric smiled smugly. “What a coincidence, running into you here!”

“You know perfectly well that I work here, Cedric.” Harry dead-panned. “What can I get you today?”

“A date would be excellent.” Cedric flirted shamelessly. “But I’ll also take my usual order, please.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry blinked. “What was your ‘usual’? I don’t remember it.”

“You...you don’t?” Cedric’s smile faltered momentarily. “Does your new bloke have you make him coffee then?”

“No, actually he’s more of a tea drinker.” Harry said calmly, channeling all of his frustration into cleaning the coffee-maker. “Now, what was your order then?”

Cedric recited a very sweet and complicated drink Harry faintly remembered writing down when they were together. It was so strange, making this drink and ignoring Cedric’s gaze, as he used to crave this amount of attention from him. He used to feel panicky making this drink too, as Cedric was exceptionally picky about how he liked his coffee. 

Now though, he barely paid attention to the process and didn’t think twice when he handed it off to Cedric and accepted payment for it. 

“Good afternoon, Cedric.” Harry said politely. 

“Oh,” Cedric held up his hand, reaching into his pocket as if he’d forgotten something. “I remembered that you really liked Manchester United, so I got you a ticket to come to their next game.”

He held out the ticket, smiling like he’d really done something kind. 

“I’m sorry, Cedric.” Harry replied, not feeling very sorry at all. “But I can’t accept that.”

“Sure you can,” Cedric brushed him off. “You’ll really like it - I can even get you VIP access -”

“Cedric!” Harry cut him off angrily. “I don’t want them. I don’t want anything from you, if I’m honest.”

Cedric’s face hardened, turning ugly. “You don’t mean that, Harry. I was the best thing that ever happened to you.”

“No, you weren’t!” Harry yelled, losing his temper. “So many amazing things have happened in my life, Cedric. I may not be rich like you, or have a well-connected family like yours, but that does not mean that I’m worth less than you! And it took losing you for me to really understand that, but I know it now.”

He took a shaky breath, glaring at Cedric. “I’ve met an amazing person who loves me for all the things you used to make me feel small for. But my worth doesn’t come from him either - he just makes me a better version of myself without trying to change me.”

“Harry…” Cedric stared at him, open-mouthed. “You’re making a mistake, Harry.”

“No, I’m not.” Harry shook his head. “You should leave now.”

A group of customers came in, ending their confrontation. Cedric would never damage his public reputation by making a scene. Instead, he picked up his coffee order, glared at Harry, and left the cafe. 

“I’m going on break.” Harry said shakily to Anna, who just nodded. 

Benjamin followed Harry to the back, where they just sat together. After a moment, Harry burst out laughing. 

“I can’t believe I just did that!” He laughed, holding his head in his hands. 

“It was bloody impressive, I thought.” Benjamin said. “If you don’t mind my saying so.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so, Benjamin.” Harry smirked. “You reckon he got the hint?”

“Only time will tell,” Benjamin shrugged. “Blokes like him don’t like being told no. But I’d like to see him try getting anywhere near you with Tom around.”

He looked Harry in the eye. “What do you want to tell Tom? He won’t like you working here now he knows Cedric came to harass you at work.”

Harry sighed. “You’re right.”

He wasn’t particularly attached to this cafe, but he did enjoy working and meeting new people here.

“You could always find other work, you know.” Benjamin suggested. “Even without Tom’s resources, your baking is quite good on its own.”

He patted his stomach. “I should know - you made me sample everything today.”

Harry laughed, smiling. “Thanks, Benjamin.”

“Well,” Harry brushed his slacks as he stood back up. “Let’s tell the boss then.”

Mr. Slughorn was not thrilled with Harry’s resignation, but also not very surprised. Harry had been there for years and was frankly over-qualified for the position anyway. Harry returned his apron and the keys to the cafe, leaving his shift feeling more free than usual. 

“You wanna get a beer before I have to take you back?” Benjamin asked, looking down the street. “I saw a decent-looking pub on the way here.”

“Yeah, sure.” Harry grinned. 

Tom glared at Benjamin and Harry, who stumbled into the living room later that evening. 

“Where exactly have you two been?” He tapped his foot on the floor. 

“We,” Harry giggled, pointing to himself and Benjamin. “Have been drinking to my unemployment!”

“And incredible assertiveness!” Benjamin added loudly. “Can’t forget that - I recorded it and everything.”

“You did not!” Harry attempted to hit Benjamin, but completely missed. 

“‘Course I did, you were fantastic!” Benjamin beamed, handing Tom his phone. “Look at your boyfriend putting that ponce in his place!”

Tom lightened up as he watched the video, seeing Harry absolutely trash the person who had once made him so insecure. And Tom also liked the bit where Harry said he was a good boyfriend. There were other bits about self-worth and stuff, but the good boyfriend was what Tom was going to take from this. 

“So, you are unemployed for the moment?”

Harry nodded drunkenly, coming over and hugging Tom close. 

“We were thinking,” He slurred. “Me and Benjamin, that is, were thinking that perhaps we’ve earned one of your lovely food creations, please?”

He looked up hopefully at Tom, batting his eyes and everything. 

Tom sighed begrudgingly. “Alright. Benjamin, you can sleep on the couch tonight.”

“Thank you, sir.” Benjamin grinned. “Much obliged.”

“You can just call me Tom at this point.” He sighed again. “I’ll get cooking, I guess.”

Outtake:

“So he just rejects me, like he’s so much better than me now!” Cedric fumed.

His goldfish, Cedric Jr., blinked at him from inside the fish bowl. 

“Exactly!” Cedric nodded. “I’ll just find somebody who appreciates me, Cedric Jr.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry to any Cedric stans! I really just borrowed his name and none of his characteristics. I do stan Benjamin though what a gem. 
> 
> Anna was very bad as a coworker, giving out information like that. Don't be like Anna. 
> 
> Happy Reading!


End file.
